A method and system are disclosed for managing nodes of a computer network which communicate via connectivity services of a service provider, such as virtual private network (VPN) services.
For example, a customer may have a network with nodes in multiple geographical locations, and a service provider can be used to connect these different locations. Because the service provider can provide connectivity services to multiple customers, multiple VPNs can be configured by the service provider.
MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) is an IETF initiative directed to enhancing Internet Protocol (IP) packet exchange by combining network link information such as bandwidth, latency and utilization, into layer L3 (IP) information. The inclusion of layer L2 network link information into layer L3 information can provide network administrators enhanced flexibility in managing network traffic.
When a data packet enters an MPLS network, Label Edge Routers (LERs) provide the packets with a label, or identifier. The packets are classified, and assigned to corresponding Label Switch Paths (LSPs).
In the case of connectivity services provided by third party service providers, the service providers may provide only limited management capabilities. For example, VPN service providers provide limited VPN management capabilities for use in managing an MPLS VPN network.